Systems and methods for detecting double-feed items on mail processing equipment

ABSTRACT

A method for detecting double-fed mail pieces. The method includes receiving a first mail piece and a second mail piece together as a combined mail piece and scanning both sides of the combined mail piece to determine and store a first side identifier and a second side identifier. The method includes separately scanning the first mail piece to determine the first side identifier and a different second side identifier and separately scanning the second mail piece to determine the second side identifier and a different first side identifier. The method includes querying the identifier database using the first side identifier to retrieve the second side identifier associated with the combined mail piece and determining that the different second side identifier is now associated with the separate second mail piece. The method includes identifying the first mail piece or the second mail piece as a double feed mail piece.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of the filing date of United StatesProvisional Patent Application 62/355,983, filed Jun. 29, 2016, which ishereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Aspects of the present invention generally relate mail processing, andmore specifically, to the detection of double-fed mail items.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

In mail processing systems, two mail items, such as two letters, can be“double-fed,” that is, processed together when they should be processedseparately. This can happen, for example, if two letters are stucktogether. In such cases, one or both of the items is typically sorted orotherwise processed incorrectly. Improved systems are desirable.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

Disclosed embodiments relate to systems and method for detectingdouble-fed mail pieces. A method includes receiving a first mail pieceand a second mail piece together as a combined mail piece in a firstautomation pass. The method includes scanning both sides of the combinedmail piece to determine a first side identifier and a second sideidentifier, wherein the first side identifier is determined from thefirst side of the first mail piece and the second side identifier isdetermined from the second side of the second mail piece. The methodincludes storing the first side identifier and the second sideidentifier in an identifier database as associated with the combinedmail piece. The method includes separately scanning the first mail pieceto determine the first side identifier and a different second sideidentifier, in a second automation pass after the first mail piece hasseparated from the second mail piece. The method includes separatelyscanning the second mail piece to determine the second side identifierand a different first side identifier, in the second automation passafter the first mail piece has separated from the second mail piece. Themethod includes querying the identifier database using the first sideidentifier to retrieve the second side identifier associated with thecombined mail piece. The method includes determining that the differentsecond side identifier is now associated with the separate second mailpiece. The method includes identifying at least one of the first mailpiece or the second mail piece as a double feed mail piece.

In some embodiments, the automation system also determines that thedifferent second side identifier is different from the second sideidentifier associated with the combined mail piece. wherein at least oneof the first side identifier and the second side identifier is an imageattribute fingerprint. In some embodiments, at least one of the firstside identifier and the second side identifier is derived from aconcatenation of the name and address data of a recipient of the firstmail piece. In some embodiments, at least one of the first sideidentifier and the second side identifier is an indicia printed on thefirst mail piece. In some embodiments, at least one of the first sideidentifier and the second side identifier is an ultraviolet ID tag. Insome embodiments, the identified double feed mail piece is sorted forspecial processing. In some embodiments, the first side is a front ofthe first mail piece.

The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technicaladvantages of the present disclosure so that those skilled in the artmay better understand the detailed description that follows. Additionalfeatures and advantages of the disclosure will be described hereinafterthat form the subject of the claims. Those skilled in the art willappreciate that they may readily use the conception and the specificembodiment disclosed as a basis for modifying or designing otherstructures for carrying out the same purposes of the present disclosure.Those skilled in the art will also realize that such equivalentconstructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the disclosurein its broadest form.

Before undertaking the DETAILED DESCRIPTION below, it may beadvantageous to set forth definitions of certain words or phrases usedthroughout this patent document: the terms “include” and “comprise,” aswell as derivatives thereof, mean inclusion without limitation; the term“or” is inclusive, meaning and/or; the phrases “associated with” and“associated therewith,” as well as derivatives thereof, may mean toinclude, be included within, interconnect with, contain, be containedwithin, connect to or with, couple to or with, be communicable with,cooperate with, interleave, juxtapose, be proximate to, be bound to orwith, have, have a property of, or the like; and the term “controller”means any device, system or part thereof that controls at least oneoperation, whether such a device is implemented in hardware, firmware,software or some combination of at least two of the same. It should benoted that the functionality associated with any particular controllermay be centralized or distributed, whether locally or remotely.Definitions for certain words and phrases are provided throughout thispatent document, and those of ordinary skill in the art will understandthat such definitions apply in many, if not most, instances to prior aswell as future uses of such defined words and phrases. While some termsmay include a wide variety of embodiments, the appended claims mayexpressly limit these terms to specific embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure, and theadvantages thereof, reference is now made to the following descriptionstaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein likenumbers designate like objects, and in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a mail processing automation system inaccordance with disclosed embodiments;

FIG. 2 shows an example of imaging in an automation first pass in whicha single-fed letter occurs in accordance with disclosed embodiments;

FIG. 3 shows an automation first pass in which a double feed occurs inaccordance with disclosed embodiments;

FIG. 4 shows an automation second pass in which the previously doublefed items have become separated in the mail stream in accordance withdisclosed embodiments;

FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart of a process in accordance with disclosedembodiments; and

FIG. 6 depicts a block diagram of a data processing system 600 in whichan embodiment can be implemented.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The figures discussed below, and the various embodiments used todescribe the principles of the present disclosure in this patentdocument are by way of illustration only and should not be construed inany way to limit the scope of the disclosure. Those skilled in the artwill understand that the principles of the present disclosure may beimplemented in any suitably arranged device. The numerous innovativeteachings of the present application will be described with reference toexemplary non-limiting embodiments.

Mail processing typically involves the separation of a stack of lettersinto individual letters that are then oriented so they can be fed into ahigh speed mail transport for automation processing. Separation ofindividual letters is an inherently difficult process due to the widelyvarying physical nature of letters, such as varying letter size,friction, and thickness, and the limitation of current separatorequipment. Frequently, such automation equipment fails to completelyseparate the letters and one or more letters may be fed and presented tothe automation equipment as if it were a single piece, referred to as adouble-feed.

Double-fed letters inherently cause at least one of the letters to bemis-sorted as it moves through various automation equipment. Thesemis-sorted items frequently do not get detected until the letter ishandled by the letter carrier at which point they are re-inserted backinto the automation stream for re-processing. This additional handlingstep reduces productivity, delays mail delivery, and representsadditional costs.

There are multiple automation passes that a letter usually moves throughbefore the postal carrier actually receives the letter. At eachsubsequent pass, items which were previously double fed often becomeseparable and then move through the automaton processes as individualletters. In some cases, such as Postal Automated Redirection System(PARS) processing, this separated piece can be incorrectly identified asthe original double-fed letter, causing costly mis-sorts, or evenmislabeling.

Various real-time doubles detection techniques are employed to detectthese anomalies and separate the double feed items. But these techniquesfrequently fail to detect the double feeds. These techniques vary frommechanical to sophisticated, but in general they generally rely ondetecting some physical characteristic that a double feed represents.Other techniques use digital imaging and processing to determine somevisual feature that indicates a high probability of double feed.

As described above, various techniques can be used to detect doubles.“Over-length” detection detects doubles by noting that the item has ameasured length that exceeds a pre-determined maximum letter length.

“Bottom-edge” detection detects doubles by imaging/scanning the bottomedge of the mail piece and performing image processing to determine mailpiece edges, to ensure that only one edge is present. If more than oneedge is detected, then the scanned mail piece is likely a double. Oneexample of a bottom-edge detector is the Combined Input Output Subsystem(CIOSS) double detector developed by Siemens.

“Face-side” detection detects doubles by imaging/scanning the face sideof the mail piece and using image processing algorithms to determinedouble feeds by extracting and examining letter features, such asmultiple address blocks, abrupt feature changes, and document edge, thatare evident when the double-fed items overlap within the field of view.

Ultrasound detection detects doubles by passing ultrasound through thedocument and measuring the response. A double is detected as adiminished response due to the air gap between documents. This type ofdetector is more suitable to sheet-feed applications and not verysuitable to letter mail technology.

None of these techniques is completely accurate, and often a double willgo undetected at a first point in processing, and the mail pieces willlater separate during processing. The capability to detectpreviously-undetected doubles that have since separated is a distincttechnical improvement in the operation of the mail processing system.

One approach to solving the double feed problem is to examine adjacentletter properties of the letters after they separate on subsequentautomation passes, but before they reach the carrier. Once detected,these letters can either be automatically corrected for proper sorting,or sorted into a reject bin for re-processing. The intent of thistechnique is not to replace existing double detection equipment, but tosupplement it in the automation stream.

Disclosed embodiments detect previously-undetected double feeds duringsubsequent mail processing passes after the double-fed items have againseparated within the mail stream. It achieves this by determining thatthese now-separate, but physically-adjacent, mail pieces haveidentifying features that can only belong to a pair of mail pieces thatwere previously double fed but undetected as a double on the previousmail processing pass.

Once this determination has been made, both items can either beseparated to a culling bin as double-feed items or the double feed canbe automatically corrected.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a mail processing automation system100. In this system, mail pieces are received at induction 102, then aresingulated at singulator 104. The singulated mail pieces are transportedthrough the system on transport 112, which can be, for example, a seriesof pinch belts or other transport mechanisms.

Each element in the FIG. 1 automation system can be implemented bydifferent devices, or one or more elements can be integrated. Forexample, imager 106 can be part of sorter 108. Each element iscontrolled by a control system 120, which can be implemented by one ormore controllers.

The mail pieces are imaged by imager 106. According to disclosedembodiments, both sides of each mail pieces are imaged or scanned. Insome cases, this can include printing a visible or invisible barcode orother indicia on either or both sides of each mail piece, and caninclude reading previously-printed indicia. The mail processing systemstores a “first side” identifier and a “second side” identifier for eachmail piece (e.g., a front side identifier and a back side identifier),and associates these identifiers with a unique mail piece identifier foreach mail piece. Any of these identifiers can be the printed or readindicia. In some cases, for example, the side A identifier can be theunique identifier, associated with the corresponding side B identifier.

For example, other techniques for forming a first side or second sideidentifier can include using the “Fingerprint” technology developed bySiemens Corporation (“ArtID”) or using a concatenation of the recipientname and address data. The Siemens Fingerprint technology creates aunique fingerprint of the face of each mailpiece based on imageattributes. This fingerprint can be used as the first side and/or secondside identifier. The concatenation of the name and address data,acquired using OCR and/or video coding, takes the information within therecipient address block and creates an identifier, so the identifier isderived from this information. The fingerprint can be formed, forexample, after the first scanning described herein. The registrationidentifier is associated with the pattern, location, and/or contents ofvisible indicia on the respective mail piece that can be derived fromthe respective images. Other information on the mailpiece, such as thesender address information, may also be attached to the recipientaddress block information, to create a stronger identifier.

The control system 100 stores the identifiers. The mail pieces aresorted at sorter 108 to outputs 110, using conventional techniques.

The process described above is a “single pass” of a typical sortprocess. In typical mail processing, more than one pass is performed. Asubsequent pass can be performed by putting the sorted mail pieces backthrough automation system 100, or be performed by a second mailprocessing system 100, or can be performed in a single mail processingsystem 100 by duplicating some of the elements above. In accordance withdisclosed embodiments, the mail pieces are imaged twice, at twodifferent points in time, as described in more detail below.

The mail processing system can include conventional doubles detectionprocesses and devices. However, as described above, such conventionaltechniques are not always successful at identifying doubles, and so adouble may be processed through all or part of the process describedabove as if it were a single mail piece.

The disclosed doubles detection technique identifies items that haveseparated in the automation stream, but were previously undetecteddouble feeds on a prior automation pass. To do this, the automationsystem stores the side A and side B identifiers (IDs) on the firstautomation pass where the double occurs. In certain embodiments, thebackside identifier technology is an ultraviolet (UV) ID tag, and thefront side identification technology is the Siemens ArtID “fingerprint”technology described above, though any other suitable technologies wouldwork as well.

As described above, the backside (second side) identifier is a UVbarcode in certain embodiments. Either this barcode pre-exists at thefirst pass, or, in some cases, it is printed on the mail piece. Thisidentifier is guaranteed to be unique across the entire country for 30days, and so it serves as a positive ID to distinguish this piece fromall others. It is not necessary to separately store this identifier in adatabase in some embodiments; it is sufficient merely to be able to readit whenever the mailpiece is processed.

In “fingerprint” embodiments, the front side identifier (first side ID)is an ID that is determined using characteristics, features or otherattributes of the image of the front side. During the first pass, thefront side image is scanned and a unique ID is associated with theextracted image features. Both the image features and the ID are storedtogether in a database. In later passes, given the same set of imagefeatures, the database can return the associated ID for that mail piece.

In various embodiments, the ID that is associated with the imagefeatures is the same as the ID from the back side UV barcode(second-side ID), and this fact is used in performing subsequent doublesdetection. This means that the back side ID (UV barcode), and the frontside ID (the ID returned from the database) should be the same for anygiven mail piece.

If the previously-determined front side ID and back side ID for a mailpiece do not match, there are several possibilities. For example, thiscould mean that either the front side ID or back side ID is unreadable.For example, the UV barcode may be damaged, or the front side image hasbeen defaced or is otherwise not a suitable match for image featuresstored in the database.

As another example, this could mean that the original front sideassociation was incorrect because the original scan was a double feed.In order to determine if this scenario is the case, the system examinesadjacent mailpieces IDs. If an adjacent mail piece has a back side IDthat matches the current front side ID, then there is a high degree ofconfidence that the original pass was, in fact, a double feed, becausethe same ID (or associated IDs) is found on two physically differentmailpieces, each on a different side. Note that some mail processingequipment reverses the mail piece “deck” order anytime it is run, so ina second pass case, the system looks at foregoing mail piece back sideID versus the current front side ID. For this reason, the front side andback side IDs can be considered interchangeable when performing averification lookup. In actual implementation, the system can determinea double feed when the current back side ID matches the previous mailpiece's front side ID or when the current front side ID matches previousmail piece's back side ID.

In various embodiments, the system identifies opposite side IDs thatmatch on adjacent mailpieces, which should never happen unless thosemail pieces were originally a double feed.

FIG. 2 shows an example of imaging in an automation first pass in whicha single-fed letter occurs, such as could be performed in imager 106. Asecond side ID tag reader 208 reads a pre-printed ID tag of first mailpiece 202 and associates this identifier with this letter, such as bystoring a second side ID associated with a first mail piece ID. A firstside reader 206, such as an ArtID front side reader technology, thenperforms “registration”—digital image processing—on the front side toproduce a first side ID and associates the second side ID with the firstside ID. In this particular example, the first side ID, represented asimage attributes, is associated with the second side ID represented bythe UV ID tag.

First side reader 206 and second side reader 208 can be implementedusing cameras or other imaging devices known to those of skill in theart. Note that in this figure, for illustrative purposes, front sidereader 206 is shown as offset from second side reader 208, and readseach mail piece after second side reader 208 in the mail piece directionof travel. This particular arrangement is not necessary or limiting;disclosed embodiments can place the front side reader 206 and secondside reader 208 in any position with relation to each other, includingplacing them so both sides of the mail piece are images at the sametime.

The first side ID, such as image attributes (or “fingerprint”) of thefirst side, and corresponding second side ID are stored together in adatabase for the first mail piece 202, along with any separate uniqueidentifier, if such a unique identifier is used separately from thefirst side ID and second side ID. This means that mail piece 202 can nowbe identified in subsequent passes by either front side ID alone or thesecond side ID alone, by querying the database with the ID(s) read inthe subsequent pass. The first and second IDs are essentially “married”to each other for the automation lifetime of the mail piece 202.

The same process is performed for second mail piece 204.

FIG. 3 shows an automation first pass in which a double feed occurs,using similar references as FIG. 2, with first mail piece 202 attachedas a double to second mail piece 204. In this case, the second sidereader 208 reads the second side of first mail piece 202 and the firstside reader 206 reads the first side of second mail piece 204, but theautomation system sees this double as a single mail piece.

In this example, the second side mail piece (first mail piece 202) hasits second side ID associated with the front side letter (second mailpiece 204) front side ID since the double is read as a single mailpiece. These two mail pieces then travel together as a single mail pieceinto a single sorter bin and will be processed again on a subsequentautomation pass. At this point, the double is still undetected.

FIG. 4 shows an automation second pass in which the previously doublefed items have become separated in the mail stream. Note that this casereflects the “normal” case of FIG. 2, since the previously-doubled mailpieces are separated. In this pass, for each letter, the imager 106reads the second sider ID, and, using the front side ID, also queriesthe database in an attempt to identify the piece using the front sideID. Depending on the type of sorter technology used, the ordering of thefirst side and second side (front and back sides) may be reversed.

At this point, the system identifies any previous doubles. In a normalsingle feed, no two adjacent mail pieces should ever have the sameunique ID or corresponding first side and second side identifiers. Ifsuch a sequence occurs, the two letters must have been a double feed onthe first registration pass. As the first mail piece 202 and second mailpiece 204 are imaged as described above in FIG. 2, each of theidentifiers are looked up in the ID database. If first mail piece 202has a first side ID that matches the second sider ID of the second mailpiece 204, or vice-versa, a double feed is identified and the mailpieces are sorted to a special pocket, or, in the case of the CIOSSlabel pass, one or both of the mail pieces can be prevented from beingmis-labeled (and out-sorted for special handling), or one of the mailpieces can continue on as a correctly-labeled mail piece. In alternateembodiments, a double feed can be detected when a first side ID for asingle mail piece does not match the stored second side ID for the samemail piece (or vice versa).

FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart of a process in accordance with disclosedembodiments that can be performed by an automation system as in FIG. 1.Note that while this process is described in terms of a two mail piecesfirst that are double-fed, the process naturally will be performed forany mail pieces that are received for processing.

In a first automation pass, receiving a first mail piece and a secondmail piece together as a combined mail piece (a double) (502).

Scanning both sides of the combined mail piece to determine a first sideidentifier and a second side identifier (504), wherein the first sideidentifier is determined from the first side of the first mail piece andthe second side identifier is determined from the second side of thesecond mail piece. “Scanning” can include full imaging, reading a barcode or other indicia, or other techniques for determining theidentifiers.

Storing the first side identifier and the second side identifier in anidentifier database as associated with the combined mail piece (506).

In a second automation pass, after the first mail piece has separatedfrom the second mail piece, separately scanning the first mail piece todetermine the first side identifier and a different second sideidentifier (508). “Separately scanning,” in this context, means the twomail pieces are not scanned as a single, combined mail piece.

In the second automation pass, after the first mail piece has separatedfrom the second mail piece, separately scanning the second mail piece todetermine the second side identifier and a different first sideidentifier (510).

Querying the identifier database using the first side identifier toretrieve the second side identifier associated with the combined mailpiece (512).

Determining that the different second side identifier is now associatedwith the separate second mail piece (514). Alternately or additionally,the automation system determines that the different second sideidentifier is different from the second side identifier associated withthe combined mail piece.

Identifying at least one of the first mail piece or the second mailpiece as a double feed mail piece (516). This can include sorting atleast one of the first mail piece or the second mail piece for specialprocessing.

Note that in the description above, the “first” and “second” labels arearbitrary, and the process can encompass any subsequent automation passin which the two identifiers previously associated with a “single” mailpiece are later associated with different mail pieces. Similarly, the“first” and “second” automation passes can refer to any different pointsin time in which the mail pieces are processed as described.

As described herein, any suitable technology can be used to render afront side ID or back side ID, though the UV tags and image attributesare used in specific examples above. Disclosed embodiments obtain both afront side ID and a back side ID, and that in the event of a double-feedthat subsequently separates, these two IDs appear on two differentphysically mailpieces, which are typically physically adjacent to eachother in the mail stream. Disclosed embodiments are not used to detectthe initial double feed, but rather detect the subsequently=separatedpieces that originally appeared as a single, double-fed piece.

FIG. 6 depicts a block diagram of a data processing system 600 in whichan embodiment can be implemented, for example as a system forimplementing control system 120, or one of the other systems or elementsdescribed herein, and can be configured to perform processes asdescribed herein. Data processing system can be used to implement one ofmultiple data processing systems in cloud computing system 212. The dataprocessing system depicted includes a processor 602 connected to a leveltwo cache/bridge 604, which is connected in turn to a local system bus606. Local system bus 606 may be, for example, a peripheral componentinterconnect (PCI) architecture bus. Also connected to local system busin the depicted example are a main memory 608 and a graphics adapter610. The graphics adapter 610 may be connected to display 611.

Other peripherals, such as local area network (LAN)/Wide AreaNetwork/Wireless (e.g. WiFi) adapter 612, may also be connected to localsystem bus 606. Expansion bus interface 614 connects local system bus606 to input/output (I/O) bus 616. I/O bus 616 is connected tokeyboard/mouse adapter 618, disk controller 620, and I/O adapter 622.Disk controller 620 can be connected to a storage 626, which can be anysuitable machine usable or machine readable storage medium, includingbut not limited to nonvolatile, hard-coded type mediums such as readonly memories (ROMs) or erasable, electrically programmable read onlymemories (EEPROMs), magnetic tape storage, and user-recordable typemediums such as floppy disks, hard disk drives and compact disk readonly memories (CD-ROMs) or digital versatile disks (DVDs), and otherknown optical, electrical, or magnetic storage devices. Storage 626 canstore and maintain an identifier database 650 as described herein, whichcan store a first side ID 652 and a second side ID 654.

I/O adapter 622 can be connected to mail processing equipment 628, whichcan include any of the elements of FIG. 1 or other hardware devices forprocessing mail pieces forms in accordance with the various embodimentsdescribed herein.

Also connected to I/O bus 616 in the example shown is audio adapter 624,to which speakers (not shown) may be connected for playing sounds.Keyboard/mouse adapter 618 provides a connection for a pointing device(not shown), such as a mouse, trackball, trackpointer, etc.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the hardwaredepicted in FIG. 6 may vary for particular implementations. For example,other peripheral devices, such as an optical disk drive and the like,also may be used in addition or in place of the hardware depicted. Thedepicted example is provided for the purpose of explanation only and isnot meant to imply architectural limitations with respect to the presentdisclosure.

A data processing system in accordance with an embodiment of the presentdisclosure includes an operating system employing a graphical userinterface. The operating system permits multiple display windows to bepresented in the graphical user interface simultaneously, with eachdisplay window providing an interface to a different application or to adifferent instance of the same application. A cursor in the graphicaluser interface may be manipulated by a user through the pointing device.The position of the cursor may be changed and/or an event, such asclicking a mouse button, generated to actuate a desired response.

One of various commercial operating systems, such as a version ofMicrosoft Windows™, a product of Microsoft Corporation located inRedmond, Wash. may be employed if suitably modified. The operatingsystem is modified or created in accordance with the present disclosureas described.

LAN/WAN/Wireless adapter 612 can be connected to a network 630 (not apart of data processing system 600), which can be any public or privatedata processing system network or combination of networks, as known tothose of skill in the art, including the Internet. LAN/WAN/Wirelessadapter 612 can also communicate with packages as described herein, andperform other data processing system or server processes describedherein. Data processing system 600 can communicate over network 630 withone or more server systems 640, which are also not part of dataprocessing system 600, but can be implemented, for example, as separatedata processing systems 600. A server system 640 can be, for example,any of the other systems described herein, and so indicates how systemscan intercommunicate over network 630.

It is important to note that while the disclosure includes a descriptionin the context of a fully functional system, those skilled in the artwill appreciate that at least portions of the mechanism of the presentdisclosure are capable of being distributed in the form of acomputer-executable instructions contained within a machine-usable,computer-usable, or computer-readable medium in any of a variety offorms to cause a system to perform processes as disclosed herein, andthat the present disclosure applies equally regardless of the particulartype of instruction or signal bearing medium or storage medium utilizedto actually carry out the distribution. Examples of machineusable/readable or computer usable/readable mediums include:nonvolatile, hard-coded type mediums such as read only memories (ROMs)or erasable, electrically programmable read only memories (EEPROMs), anduser-recordable type mediums such as floppy disks, hard disk drives andcompact disk read only memories (CD-ROMs) or digital versatile disks(DVDs). In particular, computer readable mediums can include transitoryand non-transitory mediums, unless otherwise limited in the claimsappended hereto. For example, various embodiments include systems,methods, and computer-readable media.

Although an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure has beendescribed in detail, those skilled in the art will understand thatvarious changes, substitutions, variations, and improvements disclosedherein may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of thedisclosure in its broadest form. In the processes described above,various steps may be performed sequentially, concurrently, in adifferent order, or omitted, unless specifically described otherwise.Similarly, various elements of the systems and apparatuses describedherein can be duplicated, rearranged, or omitted in various embodiments,unless described or claimed otherwise.

None of the description in the present application should be read asimplying that any particular element, step, or function is an essentialelement which must be included in the claim scope: the scope of patentedsubject matter is defined only by the allowed claims. Moreover, none ofthese claims are intended to invoke 35 USC §112(f) unless the exactwords “means for” are followed by a participle.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for detecting double-fed mail pieces,comprising: receiving a first mail piece and a second mail piecetogether as a combined mail piece in a first automation pass; scanningboth sides of the combined mail piece to determine a first sideidentifier and a second side identifier, wherein the first sideidentifier is determined from the first side of the first mail piece andthe second side identifier is determined from the second side of thesecond mail piece; storing the first side identifier and the second sideidentifier in an identifier database as associated with the combinedmail piece; separately scanning the first mail piece to determine thefirst side identifier and a different second side identifier, in asecond automation pass after the first mail piece has separated from thesecond mail piece; separately scanning the second mail piece todetermine the second side identifier and a different first sideidentifier, in the second automation pass after the first mail piece hasseparated from the second mail piece; querying the identifier databaseusing the first side identifier to retrieve the second side identifierassociated with the combined mail piece; determining that the differentsecond side identifier is now associated with the separate second mailpiece; and identifying at least one of the first mail piece or thesecond mail piece as a double feed mail piece.
 2. The method accordingto claim 1, wherein the automation system also determines that thedifferent second side identifier is different from the second sideidentifier associated with the combined mail piece.
 3. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first side identifierand the second side identifier is an image attribute fingerprint.
 4. Themethod according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first sideidentifier and the second side identifier is derived from aconcatenation of the name and address data of a recipient of the firstmail piece.
 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one ofthe first side identifier and the second side identifier is an indiciaprinted on the first mail piece.
 6. The method according to claim 1,wherein at least one of the first side identifier and the second sideidentifier is an ultraviolet ID tag.
 7. The method according to claim 1,wherein the identified double feed mail piece is sorted for specialprocessing.
 8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first sideis a front of the first mail piece.
 9. A mail processing automationsystem, comprising: an imager; a control system connected to control theimager; and an identifier database stored in the control system, whereinthe automation system is configured to: receive a first mail piece and asecond mail piece together as a combined mail piece in a firstautomation pass; scan both sides of the combined mail piece with theimager to determine a first side identifier and a second sideidentifier, wherein the first side identifier is determined from thefirst side of the first mail piece and the second side identifier isdetermined from the second side of the second mail piece; store thefirst side identifier and the second side identifier in the identifierdatabase as associated with the combined mail piece; separately scan thefirst mail piece with the imager to determine the first side identifierand a different second side identifier, in a second automation passafter the first mail piece has separated from the second mail piece;separately scan the second mail piece with the imager to determine thesecond side identifier and a different first side identifier, in thesecond automation pass after the first mail piece has separated from thesecond mail piece; query the identifier database using the first sideidentifier to retrieve the second side identifier associated with thecombined mail piece; determine that the different second side identifieris now associated with the separate second mail piece; and identify atleast one of the first mail piece or the second mail piece as a doublefeed mail piece.
 10. The automation system according to claim 9, whereinthe automation system also determines that the different second sideidentifier is different from the second side identifier associated withthe combined mail piece.
 11. The automation system according to claim 9,wherein at least one of the first side identifier and the second sideidentifier is an image attribute fingerprint.
 12. The automation systemaccording to claim 9, wherein at least one of the first side identifierand the second side identifier is derived from a concatenation of thename and address data of a recipient of the first mail piece.
 13. Theautomation system according to claim 9, wherein at least one of thefirst side identifier and the second side identifier is an indiciaprinted on the first mail piece.
 14. The automation system according toclaim 9, wherein at least one of the first side identifier and thesecond side identifier is an ultraviolet ID tag.
 15. The automationsystem according to claim 9, wherein the identified double feed mailpiece is sorted for special processing.
 16. The automation systemaccording to claim 9, wherein the first side is a front of the firstmail piece.
 17. A computer-readable storage medium storing executableinstructions that, when executed, cause an automation system to: receivea first mail piece and a second mail piece together as a combined mailpiece in a first automation pass; scan both sides of the combined mailpiece with an imager to determine a first side identifier and a secondside identifier, wherein the first side identifier is determined fromthe first side of the first mail piece and the second side identifier isdetermined from the second side of the second mail piece; store thefirst side identifier and the second side identifier in the identifierdatabase as associated with the combined mail piece; separately scan thefirst mail piece with the imager to determine the first side identifierand a different second side identifier, in a second automation passafter the first mail piece has separated from the second mail piece;separately scan the second mail piece with the imager to determine thesecond side identifier and a different first side identifier, in thesecond automation pass after the first mail piece has separated from thesecond mail piece; query the identifier database using the first sideidentifier to retrieve the second side identifier associated with thecombined mail piece; determine that the different second side identifieris now associated with the separate second mail piece; and identify atleast one of the first mail piece or the second mail piece as a doublefeed mail piece.
 18. The computer-readable storage medium according toclaim 17, wherein at least one of the first side identifier and thesecond side identifier is an image attribute fingerprint.
 19. Thecomputer-readable storage medium according to claim 17, wherein at leastone of the first side identifier and the second side identifier isderived from a concatenation of the name and address data of a recipientof the first mail piece.
 20. The computer-readable storage mediumaccording to claim 17, wherein at least one of the first side identifierand the second side identifier is an indicia printed on the first mailpiece.